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T O P I C R E V I E W

Philip

Indeed science does suffer from neglect on TV, and it looks like TV station managers prefer millions to watch soap opera, cooking programs and sports all day long...

"The Sky At Night" needs a new icon, choices are on Dr. Brian Cox and Dr. Brian May. Please sign the online petition, more than 3000 supporters.

We started as a group of Open University students, who were made aware that the BBC was planning to cancel The Sky At Night. This is something to which we strongly object. Since starting the campaign to save S@N, the BBC has stated that it is still in discussions about the future of the programme.

We are also concerned that once (if) the programme is brought back, its format will have been detrimentally changed. We want to see it continue in much the same way as it always has: pitched in a scientific manner towards people who are knowledgeable on the subject, whilst retaining its accessibility for newcomers to the hobby with items aimed at them. We believe that it should be presented by professional scientists and/or highly regarded amateurs, bringing the latest news and information on the subject to the people who want it. We do not want to see it fronted by a generic television presenter, or a ‘celebrity’ with no connection to the hobby. It is a specialist, scientific programme and should be treated as such and with respect to its origins and longevity.

Philip

Passing 25000 supporters...

crash

Signed without any hesitation!

Kite

Me too.

I am sure Patrick Moore would never have wanted this unique programme to end after he died.

paulus humungus

Signed.

Tykeanaut

Signed. Have you sent a copy to the Federation of Astronomical Societies? May be worth a few thousand signatures?

Rick Mulheirn

Personally, I think Prof. Cox would be the best choice. He has the right mix of gravitas and "showbiz" popularity to attract more viewers. The more viewers the less likely the program would be scrapped in the future.

Petition signed.

gliderpilotuk

Signed. Bring back James Burke! Just don't dumb it down/sex it up.

Kite

Heather Couper for me, a great personality to follow Patrick Moore, assisted by Nigel Henbest.

Philip

Thanks for the support!!! Passing 33000 signatures... and counting...

Blackarrow

Now 41,461 signatures (including mine).

johntosullivan

My signature was the 43,038th one!

Philip

Thanks, it would be superb if we could reach 50000 signatures...

David Bryant

With due respect: Dr. Cox may be 'eye candy,' but he's no astronomer: he's a particle physicist (and it shows!).

What's wrong with Pete Lawrence, Chris Lintott or Will Gater?

Tykeanaut

Not forgetting the lovely Lucie (Green)!

David Bryant

Ooooooooooh yes! I did a Beeb 2 / OU broadcast with Dr Lucie: she is a fantastic astronomer and even nicer to look at than Dr Cox!

ASCAN1984

Signed

Tykeanaut

The more I think about this the angrier I am. I started watching The Sky at Night with my late Father in the late 1960's and essentially this helped to get me interested in astronomy and spaceflight.

Shame on you BBC, I have also sent an e-mail to the Radio Times letters section this week for possible publication?

The BBC today announces that its longest running astronomy series, The Sky At Night, will continue next year. From February 2014, it will air in a new monthly half-hour slot on BBC Four, with repeats on BBC Two.

Kim Shillinglaw, Head of Commissioning for BBC Science and Natural History, says: "Sir Patrick Moore inspired generations of astronomers and I hope that alongside the BBC's other astronomy content, such as BBC Two's Stargazing Live, The Sky at Night will enthuse further generations about the wonder of the night sky."

Tykeanaut

Excellent news! There is also a short interview with Jon Culshaw in this week's edition of Radio Times.

Rick Mulheirn

Sounds like a stay of execution. I only hope I am proven wrong.

Blackarrow

30 minutes per programme? That's 10 minutes more than Sir Patrick usually got! (I remember that it was said that he talked so fast, he only needed 20 minutes. Those were the days!)

Kite

Just had an email from Karen and the 'Save The Sky At Night' petition to thank us for help saving the programme and so are closing it down but will be monitoring when it restarts in February for a few episodes to see how it goes, as they have no information to if there are any changes.